Fastening installation



A118. 15, 1939 c. TOWNER FASTENING INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 6, 1937 I Inmmior: whlffm d fibwncr.

Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING INSTALLATION Application August 6, 1937, Serial No. 157,733

2 Claims.

My invention relates to fastening installations and particularly to that type in which a fastener device is secured to a bridge portion provided is. a part of the body of an article of manufaccure.

One of thechief objects of my invention is to provide a fastener device for gas masks and other articles made of soft rubber material which may be secured, through means of a clamping member provided as apart of the device, to a rubber bridge portion integral with the body portion of the mask.

Other objects and purposes of my invention will be apparent from inspection of the drawing and specification hereinbelo-w set forth.

Referring to the drawing, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan View of a part of a gas mask showing my improved fastener device secured to the body thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken along the line 2--2 of Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing a head strap assembled with a buckle member of my fastener device;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that of Fig. 2 but showing the method by which the fastener device is secured to the mask; and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of my fastener device secured to a portion of the mask and showing the manner in which pivotal movement of a part of my fastener device carrying a buckle member is limited.

Referring to the drawing, I haveshown in Fig. 1 a portion of a gas mask comprising, in my preferred form, a. soft rubber body portion l having a tab-like. portion 2 extending beyond an edge thereof near the top and a pair of bridge portions 3 disposed substantially adjacent the side edge of the mask providing a means by which a fastener device 4 may be secured to the body of the mask. A plate portion carrying a buckle member (not shown) may be riveted directly to the projecting tab-like portion 2, but I have preferred to employ the bridge-like portions 3 at the sides of the mask because it has been found not practicable to employ tab-like portions similar to the portion 2 along the sides of the mask to which plate members carrying buckles may be directly riveted due to the fact that with such a construction the sides of the'mask cannot be drawn tightly against the face of the wearer upon tightening the head straps for securing the mask to the head of the wearer in the manner possible when the fastener devices are secured to the mask inwardly from the side edges thereof. Furthermore, the bridge portions 3 are important relative to proper attachment of the fastener devices to the mask because it is not convenient to rivet a plate portion carrying a buckle member directly to the body portion of the mask through reason of the fact that any rivet means which would be pro-per for carrying out such a purpose would cause openings to be formed in the mask which would allow the passage of gas into the inside of the mask, and, at the same time, such a rivet would, in all probability, provide a projection on the inside of the mask which would cause discomfort to the wearer. Therefore, the bridgeportions 3 are provided adjacent the sides of the mask, in my preferred form, with opposed ends of each of the bridge portions integral with the body of the mask, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, and providing a space ii between the bridge portion and the mask for receiving a portion of the clamping member of my fastener device.

Referring in detail to my fastener device, it. comprises a clamping member 5 adapted to secure the device to the body portion l of the mask, a plate member 6 pivotally secured to the clamping member 5 through means of a rivet-like part 1, and a buckle 8 carried by the plate member 6 and used as a means for attaching one end of a head strap 9 (Fig. 3) to the mask, I have employed the clamping member 5 for the purpose of securing the fastener device to themask as it would ordinarily be impossible to attach the plate member 6 directly to the bridge portion 3 through means of a rivet-like part as it would be difficult, if not impossible, to head a rivet over on the underside of the bridge portion, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the softness of the rubber requires a relatively large gripping area for the fastener to hold properly.

The clamping member-5 is preferably formed of one piece of sheet metal and has an upper wall It] and a lower wall I I disposed in oppositelyspaced relation one to another. The walls IE! and II are of substantially rectangular shape and are connected together at a pair of their ends by a connecting portion !2 (Figs. 2 and 4). Each of the walls It] and H is preferably equal in length to the width of the bridge portions 3. The end of the clamping member opposite to that end having the connecting portion 12 is open whereby, when the walls are in normal unattached position, the clamping member has a substantially chamiel-shaped form, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The upper wall II! has an integral flange portion l3 adjacent its open end (Figs. 2 and 4) extending inwardly toward the lower wall II, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The flange i3 is adapted to close the open end of the clamping member when the walls 19 and H are moved into the substantially parallel clamping position shown in 2 so as to secure the clamping member to the bridge portion. In my preferred form, I have provided a stop means in the form of a raised portion I 4 along the length of the wall ill of the clamping member and adjacent an edge thereof for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The plate member 6 is preferably of substan tially rectangular form and is pivotally secured to the broad outer surface of the upper wall In through means of the rivet-like part I having a head portion 1 disposed on the outer surface of the plate 6 and a shank extending through apertures in the plate portion and upper wall and headed over upon the Lmdersurface of the upper wall H! through means of a suitable tool (not shown) moved into contact with the shank of the rivet through an aperture l5 in the lower wall H. In my preferred form, the plate 5 is relatively loosely riveted to the clamping member with the result that the plate 6 may pivot about the shank of the rivet member so that it may be readily turned to different positions to enable the buckles carried thereby to take varied positions so as to receive head straps for securing the mask to different shaped heads. When the plate 6 is secured to the clamping member, the middle portion of one end of the plate is disposed substantially adjacent the upwardly-projecting portion M of the wall IS] with the edges I 6 on adjacent sides of the middle portion of the last-mentioned end of the plate inclined (Figs. 1 and 5) so that clearance is provided for the plate to pivot relative to the clamping member. In order that the plate member may not pivot too far, and thereby tend to cause an entanglement of the head straps, the inclined edges N5 of the end of the plate engage the projection M of the side wall l0 when the plate member has been moved a predetermined distance, as shown in Fig. 5, with the result that pivotal movement of the plate member is limited in two directions. The portion H3 at the edge of the end of the plate member between the inclined edges I 6--I6 is normally spaced from the projection l4 to permit rotation of the plate in either direction except as limited by the aforesaid engagement of the inclined edges Iii-l6 with the projection M of the side wall. The opposite end of the plate member 6 from that having the inclined edges 15 provides a rolled bearing-like or hinge portion I! (Fig. 3) for hingedly receiving an end member iii of the buckle 8. The buckle 8, in my preferred form, is of a construction well known in the art having a cross-bar l9 slidable upon side members 29 of the buckle so that the head strap 9 may be looped as at 2i and passed back through the slide.

Assembly of my fastener device 4 with the body portion I of the mask is a relatively simple matter and is carried out through moving the bridge portion 3 through the open end of the clamping member with the wall ll disposed within the opening 3 provided between the body I and the lower surface of the bridge portion 3 until the connecting portion I2 abuts an outer wall of the bridge portion whereupon the clamping member will take a position substantially as shown in Fig. 4. Finally, in my preferred attaching method, the wall I0 is moved either by hand or by a suitable tool toward the wall H thereby causing the flange portion l3 to close the open end of the clamping member, as shown in Fig. 2. When the clamping member is in final attached position, the wall portions i0 and H and end portions I2 and I3 thereof are squeezed snugly against the bridge portion, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thereby providing a firm and rigid attachment. The lower wall H has an edge H (see Fig. 3) turned down to provide a wider surface than the thickness of the metal to prevent cutting of the rubber when stress is exerted on the clamping member.

Thus by my invention I have provided a fastener device which may be securely affixed to an article of manufacture such as the rubber face portion of a gas mask and constructed so as to be capable in every way of efiiciently carrying out the desired purposes.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A fastener device including a clamping member having spaced upper and lower walls which are adapted to embrace opposite sides of a portion of an article of manufacture for securing said fastener device thereto, said upper wall having a stop means extending out of the normal plane thereof, an attaching plate pivotally secured to said upper wall, said attaching plate having means adapted to abut said stop means in relative positions of said parts for limiting pivotal movement of said plate, and a buckle carried by said plate.

2. A fastener device including a substantially channel-shaped clamping member having spaced upper and lower walls connected at one end of said clamping member and open at an opposite end, said walls being adapted to embrace the sides of an article of manufacture for securing said device thereto, said upper wall having an integral projecting means adjacent an edge thereof, an attaching plate pivotally secured to said last-mentioned wall, said attaching plate having a free end which has a mid portion at its outer edge in close relation to said stop means and inclined edges adjacent opposite sides of said mid portion adapted to abut said projecting means at relative positions of said attaching plate for limiting pivotal movement of said plate, and a buckle carried by said plate.

CLIFFORD TOWNER. 

